A Paradoxical Matter

Institutionally, Israel — like the United States — is a crime against humanity: nation-states founded on genocide, built on theft. Restitution is now the only humane agenda.

But the psychology and psychiatry of the Israeli state in world consciousness is a paradoxical matter. Even Nobel laureates like Nadine Gordimer — noted for her contributions to undoing apartheid in South Africa — can get it wrong.

In this letter from Gaza university lecturer Dr. Haider Eid, the relationship between apartheid states and the role of writers like Gordimer is put in plain language. Conflicting loyalties and ethical dilemmas are part of life, but for moral models like Gordimer, an explanation is in order.